PARIS.- For years Novak Djokovic has made his long-term goal clear: Focus on accumulating titles Grand Slam and exceed the total of the great Rafael Nadal y Roger Federer.
Djokovic will finally have a chance to lead solo with a men’s record 23 championships, when the start of the French open Sunday without Nadal (due to injury) and Federer (retired) for the first time since 1998. If he ends up winning, he will break the tie against Nadal and have three more than Federer.
“It’s no secret that one of the big reasons I play today is to break more records and keep making history.”, admitted Djokovic on Saturday.
He currently has 22 major titles—two in Roland Garrosthree of US Openseven in Wimbledon and 10 in the australian open— making that 16 more than the rest of the 127-man main draw combined. Stan Wawrinka has three and Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev y Dominic Thiem one each.
“Grand Slams are different tournaments, you are playing the best tournaments in the world,” added the 36-year-old Djokovic. “And experience is on my side”.
It is for the same reason that when they ask other players who is the favorite in Nadal’s absence, they mention two names: Alcaraz, who is number one in the world and with a record of 20-2 and three clay titles in 2023, and Djokovic.
Djokovic was contemplative on the eve of the tournament and explained that now everything is physically more difficult because of his age. But his most candid comments went to Nadal, a 14-time Paris champion who has been out since January through injury.
After making a joke about Nadal’s 8-2 lead in Roland Garros in front of Nole —”Honestly, I don’t miss it on the key, you know?“— he got serious.
He remembered how their paths are united and He acknowledged that it affected him when Nadal announced that 2024 would possibly be his last year.
“He is my biggest rival. When he announced that it would be his last season, I felt a part of me leave with him.Djokovic admitted. “I think he has been one of the people who have impacted me the most in my career. He was a great motivator to keep playing and competing and keep pushing each other. Who is going to do more things? It made me wonder about my career and how much longer am I going to play“.
He then paused and smiled before saying, “I will not give any announcement today”.
FUENTE: AP
2023-05-27 21:59:39
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